Car death victim named as small grocery owner Audrey Nugent

Friends of a grocery store owner who died after driving a car into a canal in Prospect have spoken of their shock at her death.

Audrey Nugent

Police and firefighters pulled her from the submerged vehicle, but medics were unable to revive her and she was later pronounced dead at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Audrey Nugent, 53, was behind the wheel of a silver BMW when it plunged into the water off Marina Drive on Monday morning.

Police have said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.

Close friends of Ms. Nugent, who was originally from Jamaica but grew up in the Cayman Islands and lived in George Town, said she was a friendly, outgoing person.

They say they are shocked and upset by the incident, which came out of the blue. Ms. Nugent ran a small grocery store called Audrey’s, next to the Blue Marlin bar on Eastern Avenue.

Marilyn Nasirun said her friend often helped out on her farm in East End and had stopped by to visit with her at her stand at the farmers market on Monday morning.

“She left me about 8 a.m. and the next thing I heard this had happened. I’m shocked. She was one of my best friends. She would often come visit me at my house in Prospect and we would play dominoes together.”

Morna Lawrence, another friend of Ms. Nugent, said she was a “lovely person.”

“I would never have thought something like this could happen,” she said. “All I can say is that she was a very good person. She was friendly and outgoing. If she had any problems, she kept them to herself.”